My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

[irish24]

I received a 1987 Starcraft open bow project boat & trailer with a 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO. When I say "received" it was a freebie. My upmost priority is cost efficiency here. Previous owner started all the hardest work already. Pulled the floor in its entirety and stringers replaced and glassed in. Thats it. Then his wifey said "Get that crap outta my driveway," and the rest is history.
The current condition of the boat is great and the fiberglass hull is in perfect shape. What I've done is: traced but not replaced template for floor (intend on using marine grade ply), replaced all the hose connections, checked the bilge is good both on manual and auto, tilt/trim wiring issues resolved, unfroze the steering which really sucked, greased all visable fits, new NGK plugs and I've got it running with the muffs and it sounds pretty good. Exhaust is coming out and the impeller seems okay. Cooling had to be unclogged at the motor housing port but good now. I don't have any compression on one cylinder but the other three are good. Damn, too good to be true, almost. The cylinder head does move though, so it's not frozen. So, should I run the engine till it dies and say that was fun, or do a PowerHead rebuild? I know the right thing to do is a rebuild but they cost like 700 bucks. Will it toast the engine to run it in it's current state? I've heard great things about these mid 80's Johnson Outboards as being very solid motors that run forever and I really want the boat. Fix or not to fix, drive or not to drive? Any opinions?
I am also having some issues investigating this motor cause I cannot find a serial #. All I can find on the head is RSM6260V 85 115...Please help.

 

[jonesg]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

"the cylinder head does move..."

what does that mean?

I'd say you're wasting money putting marine ply down before ripping the stringers out.

sorry my bad, just re-read, previous owner already did it, wow you did luck out, good for you... bad for him, but he married her.

fix the engine, ditch the NGK plugs, they can toast a johnson, you need to use Champion plugs only.

google the engine model number, what do you need to know?

Its possible the head gasket blew due to an overheat , a ten dollar gasket will fix that. The head will be slightly warped but easily levelled out on a sheet of glass with emory paper, read up on it.

 

[irish24]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

Jonesg, thanks for your post. In response to the above question, about the cylinder head was that it does move inside the crankcase. Not frozen in place.

Okay, I've got some new info. I brought the boat into a shop to ask advice. The guy told me the motor was a "Crossflow" which I previously did not know. Now I can properly price repair parts and order a manual as well. Unfortunately the guy also told me that the motor appears to have been previously rebuilt. Perhaps a replacement powerhead, which is why I couldnt find a serial # for the engine. No matter now, cause I know what the engine is. But his advice was also to repower the boat. Aww, not what I wanted to hear. So, here we are, should I just run this engine till it dies or repower? Is it worth rebuilding a rebuild? I dont have the funds for a new engine and would prefer to rebuild the powerhead. The guy priced out the parts only for rebuilding the 1 bad cylinder and it was 1/2 the price of a whole kit with 4 new heads!! Who has the best deals on rebuild kits?...unless it does simply end up being an overheat issue, as I've yet to test the alarm.

Any advice on a cheap alternative for sealing the deck other than the standard expensive fiberglass or epoxy/resin kits?

 

[R.Johnson]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

I"m at a loss here.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

Check the head gasket, change to Champion plugs. While the head is off inspect the cylinder bores. Let us know what it looks like in there.

 

[irish24]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

Okay everybody, here's the latest. I tore down the engine to investigate my cylinder with no compression. Please view the link below:

The current condition of this bore is not so good & neither is the head. Note the chunk missing from the 12oclock to 9oclock positions as well as the scarring inside the bore itself. I think I will have this re-bored to fit the next larger size cylinder head. Any suggestions on what size head to use, size of bore to machine to or what heads/kit to use to rebuild this 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO crossflow type motor?

 

[ezeke]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

Whoever does the bore will have to measure what you have and tell you what size piston to buy. Be sure that you know what caused that to happen and fix it too, or it will happen again.

 

[irish24]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

Without a model # present on my engine anywhere, is there a way I can identify whether I have a J115TLCOS or a J115MLCOS?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

should not matter they both use the same parts.

 

[ezeke]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

The M in the model number following the HP rating is for motors with manual tilt.

 

[irish24]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

Thanks for the post guys, very helpful.

I've got all the electrical, throttle controls and fluid supply seperated from the motor. Tomorrow I will unbolt and pull the powerhead itself and begin tear down. I was wondering what the opinion is on this motor as far as the machine bore goes for the bad cylinder. I found a shop that will machine each bore for 25 bucks a hole. This guy has been doing this work since 1959. He says it's okay to bore out just the 1 bad cylinder to the next size piston head and leave it at that. It sounds nuts to me to tear down the motor to this level and not re-bore ALL holes to the SAME SIZE and install all new piston heads. The guy says it's okay to run it while only fixing the 1 bore, but I sort of feel like they should all be done. Opinions anyone? Is it worth boring all these holes larger for some extra horses or just do the one? Is the horsepower gain even worth going extra large? Again, finances are crucial here.

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

Johnson manual says it is acceptable practice to run with different size bores. If cost is the leading factor I'd just do one. Johnson knows best.

Personally if I was rebuilding it myself I'd conside my generous donation of time makes doing all four cost effective.

Your call.

 

[irish24]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

Thanks for the posts.

I found a sweet deal on the machine work I need done for the motor. Bore and new piston head for about 110 bucks, not too bad. I've got all the bolts pulled for the powerhead, however i can't remove it. I can lift the forward end of the PH, (only enough to see it's loose) but the aft end seems frozen. Any tips????

 

[ezeke]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

It would be simpler if you describe what screws you have removed and how many.

 

[SKEETR]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

Stop using the word "head" when referring to the pistons. It's confusing, to me anyways. The heads bolt to the powerhead and cap the cylinders. Your heads are probably fine but should be checked for warpage.

Thet is a good price for the machinework and parts. Make sure the guy hones the ports after boring the cylinder. You shouldnt feel anything too sharp that would catch a ring in case of a future overheat. You do have a manual for the rebuild, right?

 

[irish24]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

Yes Skeetr, you're absolutely right. Using proper terminology is important. Since I've torn this motor down, now I know mostly what is called what and will refer to them as best I can.
Just posting an update today for those interested. I finally freed the powerhead from the lower unit. It was just stuck on there by the gasket interfacing the exhaust manifold on the powerhead and the exhaust housing to the lower unit (pic2). Once removed and brought into the garage (pic1) and the dismanteling began. The hardest part was labeling the wire harness and taking lots of pictures of where it all went. Once completed, I tore down the engine accordingly...flywheel, stator, carb assembly, exhaust manifold, heads and mid-section last. This leaves nothing but the block with the crankshaft and pistons still inside the bores. Now I just need to remove the bolts attaching the piston arm to the crankshaft (also marked accordingly) and get this bad boy bored out. The only part that sucks is these bolts are actually torx nuts. Not cool, I've never seen a torx socket before. Hopefully I do soon though cause I've yet to get wet this season. The search begins for torx sockets...forgot my camera today, I'll post a new pic tomorrow.

 

[SKEETR]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

Yup, you need a thin wall 12 point socket to loosen the rod cap bolts. 5/16 if my memory serves me. Pretty common at most autoparts stores sold individually. Label the rod caps not just for the piston they connect to but the exact direction they are currently mounted. Oh, it is also recomended to purchase new bolts as that is the last place you want to take a chance on haveing a stressed bolt break.

 

[irish24]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

Well here's the update gentleman. I tore down the engine to the block, thanks for the tip Skeetr on those rod cap bolts. Does anyone know the torque spec on those rod cap bolts? The first pic shows the bare block, the next shows the damaged piston head followed by the damaged bore. The last shot shows the full scope of the damage. Have a look where the block has seperated from the piston sleeve and is full of corrosion. I am supposed to get a used block from a machine shop in town for $175-$200!! But, hopefully the bores will be in good shape and I can go from there.

 

[irish24]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

Update on this project...check these pics. The engine rebuild is essentially done and the paintjob came out great. I ended up using a hi-temp ceramic block paint with a hi-gloss finish. Now I just need to finish....err start my transom repair. Not looking forward to that. So as soon as I finish the transom, pour the foam for the subfloor and seal the deck, this will be a done job. Looking forward to the maiden voyage of the SS DriftWood....aptly named I think. Anyone know what the most cost effective foam is to use for the empty cells in the subfloor?

 

[jonesg]

Re: My 1985 Johnson 115 V4 VRO

Unless its part of the structure itself you can just use pink extruded foam from home depot, it comes 2 inches thick x 2 feet x 8 feet long.
Or leave it out completely if its isn't supporting anything.
My molded glass deck actually sits on injected foam so I have to have it.
Otherwise just google it, lots of suppliers on the internet.
Try UScomposites.

Oh yeh, if my engine looked like that I'd build a coffee table for it and keep it on display.